|
Koblenz at the confluence of Moselle and Rhine
Koblenz, lies on the Rhine and the Moselle rivers ("confluentes flumines").
On the right bank of the Rhine where the massive fortress
Ehrenbreitstein is the gateway to the Hunsrück, Eifel and Westerwald
areas. The German Corner, where the Moselle flows into the Rhine, goes
back to a German order that settled there in the early 13th century.
There is a monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I to remind us of the epoch of
the Prussian totalitarian state in German history.
There was a longstanding debate about whether or not the statue of the
horseman, which was destroyed in WWII, should be restored. A private
foundation wished to do this and finally, in 1993, the monument was
unveiled at the German Corner during a public celebration complete with
rock music (instead of marching music and cannon fire). The same patron
and art historian is also responsible for the Ludwig museum of French
modern art with its changing exhibitions of current French art at the
historical Deutschherrenhaus.
An excursion very worth taking in this city moulded by European history
and culture is to the medieval church of St. Castor (first consecrated
in 836). The walk across the Balduin bridge on the other side of the
Moselle with its view of the old castle (1277), the path through the
Florins market to the Liebfrauen City parish church (first mentioned in
1277) and built upon the foundations from the 5th and 6th centuries),
are worthwile side trips. Make a visit to the New Castle (1777-1787)
and take a boat ride over to the elector's residence below the fortress
Ehrenbreitstein on the other side of the Rhine. The Beethoven family
residence is also located here.
Photo: The confluence of the Moselle and Rhine at the
«Deutsches Eck» (German Corner) with the monumental equestrian
statue of the German Emperor Wilhelm I and the Basilica of St. Castor on the
left-hand side of the picture with its two towers. Seen from the panorama
terrace of the Ehrenbreitstein fortress 118m above the Rhine.
|
|
|
|